The Story Of
by WildCherry45
Summary: Set in S2; Post DTMFG- Peyton and Jake spend Christmas in Savannah. Answer to a challenge... fluffiness!


Title: The Story Of...

Author: WildCherry45

Notes: My first time trying this ship out so go gentle on me. This ficlet is written in little snippets and it jumps from present to past. Sorry if it gets too confusing.

Dedicated: To Lena. Hun, I'm hoping this ficlet will do your challenge justice. I love you

Answer to the following challenge:

Must include: Jake and Peyton, Xmas in Savannah, cocoa in front of the fireplace while cuddling, thoughtful gifts exchange, kissing

Must exclude: Nathan and Haley (you're gonna have plenty of it), marriage, angst, unhappy ending, Nikki

--

"_Everybody's talking about how I can't be your love but I want to be your love for real. I want to be your everything."_ – Rachael Yamagata

--

The window was fogging up again. Peyton cocked her head to the side as she lifted up a finger and pressed the pad of it against the window. The coldness seeped through her skin as she slowly glided it across the window, creating a small smiley face. She nearly jumped when she heard the knock on said window. Rolling it down, she grinned as she saw Jake's questioning face.

"What are you doing?"

"Doodling," she said with a small smile, feigning innocence.

"Getting restless, are we?"

She let out a heavy sigh before shaking her head dramatically, "Terribly so. Now, get in here. It's cold outside." The window was almost rolled up all the way when Jake entered the car. He rubbed his hands together and turned on the ignition, pulling away from the gas station in the middle of nowhere and back onto the long expanse of road.

He glanced at the backseat, smiling softly when he saw that Jenny was still sleeping soundly. He turned towards his companion and took a moment to admire her beauty. Even after miles and miles of traveling in a cramped car, she was still easily the most beautiful woman he'd ever come into contact with. Her eyes were closed, her eyelashes brushing against her cheeks as she leaned into the window, trying to find a comfortable position. Jake merely grinned before returning his attentions to the road, his eyes drawn to the green sign by the road.

Savannah- 137 miles.

--

Peyton tapped her phone against the edge of the bed. She leaned her head against her headboard as she contemplated calling her best friend for the twenty seventh time in a minute. She really should. After all, this situation called for it and besides, why was she even hesitating. Brooke was there for her. She always was and always would be.

Unless Felix was there.

Peyton sighed heavily, the cordless phone slipping from her finger tips, falling to the ground amongst the clutter that covered her floor. How did things get to this? The moment that she thought that circumstances were improving, the world threw a fastball at her and flipped her entire reality upside down.

He was back. Jake was back. Jake, her Jake was back in Tree Hill. And, he saw her. He saw her with that disgusting piece of filth that passed for a human being. He saw her at her worst. The look in his eyes, the questions and the disappointment… Peyton closed her eyes tightly, her curls falling around her face as she shook her head. No, she refused to think about it in that manner. She couldn't. Her heart couldn't take any more. Jake was her last remaining hopeful light in her heart and she refused to taint that image of him.

He still thought of her as something good and something worth saving. In his mind, she was still the one who used to take care of his daughter will care. She was the one who sent him weekly emails asking about his days. She was the one that he came back to. She was not the drug addicted, shell of a person that she was a few hours ago.

No, she shook her head firmly. No. That phase was over. Over, she repeated to herself. Over. Peyton sat up, her eyes misting over with tears. "Over," she said into the empty space, her voice almost cracking.

She pressed her fingertips into her mattress before she sniffled.

He was back. Nothing else mattered anymore.

--

Peyton shoved her hands into her pockets as she stepped through the door, feeling slightly nervous. This was new territory. This was Savannah for god's sakes. This was beyond new territory. Smiling, she looked around the room. Jake was still Jake; always putting his daughter and others first. She raised an eyebrow, "Cute wallpaper."

"Jenny likes them."

"Care bears?" Peyton turned around, the smile growing, "A real guy's apartment this is."

Jake merely shrugged before placed his daughter lovingly into her cradle, being careful not to awake the sleeping child. He kissed her gently on the cheek, covering her small body with a blanket before he turned around, pointing at the room at the end of the short hallway. "She needs the quiet."

Peyton followed silently, fumbling around with her messenger bag before she found what she was looking for. She cleared her throat awkwardly, thrusting the messily wrapped present at him as they entered the room. "It's not much but," she trailed off, her eyes shifting across the curiously empty room.

He smiled softly at her, taking the present into his large hands. He was so gentle, Peyton mentally noted. Even to wrapping paper. She resisted the urge to bounce in anticipation though the excitement clearly shone in her eyes. She desperately wanted him to like it. She wanted him to approve of it and maybe approve of her and who she was now.

They were both different people now.

Her lips twitched with eagerness and she restrained herself from grabbing him by the shoulders, shaking a reaction out of him. She watched him quietly, the nervousness slowly consuming her. After a few of the longest moments of her life, he smiled and then stepped forward, embracing her in a tight hug.

Later that day, the emptiness remained no longer. A coal sketch of the three travelers became the focal point of the room.

--

"Savannah?" Brooke demanded as she lay down on Peyton's bed, shoving the strewn pieces of clothing aside. "I can't believe you didn't tell me this sooner."

"You were busy," Peyton stated simply before running a hand through her unruly curls. "I never knew I had so much stuff."

Brooke raised an eyebrow, "And, you yell at me for never packing light. Not so easy, is it?" She threw a tee shirt in Peyton's direction, "Just pack the basics. Tee shirt and jeans, lingerie, socks and oh, yeah," she cocked her head to the side, "A to die for off the shoulder ivory dress with white lace trimming."

Peyton scoffed, "Where am I going to find that?"

Brooke hopped off the bed, the mattress bouncing in her wake. She disappeared into the hallway for a moment before returning with a simply wrapped box, "Don't you just love Christmas?"

"You didn't."

Brooke shrugged before throwing the box into Peyton's arms, "I'm a working girl now, remember?"

Without answering, Peyton tore into the box, her eyes going wide as she laid the dress down onto the bed, basking in the beauty of its full glory.

"You can thank me later with full details on this little road trip down to Savannah," Brooke said with a small smile.

"We're just friends, Brooke."

The brunette crossed her arms before snorting, "Right. I did not spend a week's pay on that dress for "just friends"." She sat down on the bed, her voice carrying a sing-song quality. "Deny it all you want, P. Sawyer but we both know the truth." She leaned forward, her voice dropping to a tone of a conspirator, "We both know why he came back."

Peyton smiled weakly, "Yeah."

--

"How you do you like your hot cocoa?"

Peyton raised an eyebrow, stretching her arms out on the counter, "You can have it in different ways?"

"Of course," Jake answered as if it was obvious. "Some, like me, like it extra chocolate-y. Others, those who are not sane, like it with extra milk." He lifted up the box of hot cocoa mix in one hand and milk in the other, "So?"

"Extra chocolate-y," Peyton said with a nod, her curls falling prettily around her face before she turned towards the living room. "I'm still having a hard time digesting that I'm actually here." She turned back to look at him, the glow from the fireplace creating a halo around her face, "That we're both here. It's kind of surreal."

"Reality's like that sometimes," Jake said as he stirred in the hot milk. He looked up at her and smiled, "Not everything in this world is bad, Peyton."

She bit the inside of her lip before shrugging, "The last few months might beg to differ."

"It's past now," Jake said firmly, "Long past and forgotten."

Peyton looked down at the floor, her fingers playing with the hem of her tee-shirt, "I wonder sometimes if I deserve to forget what I've done." Her eyes misted up as she looked at him longingly, "I want so badly to go back to the way things were."

He set the mugs down in front of the fireplace before taking her hands in his. He was so warm. So gentle. "You can," he whispered before he pulled her in for a tight hug. "Shhhh," he said softly into her ear, kissing the top of her head as she melted into him.

--

"Who was he?" Jake asked quietly as he sat in the passenger's seat. Peyton glanced at him, the pang hitting her heart hard as she saw the direction he was staring in. He wouldn't even look at her.

"A guy who I'm no longer associating with," Peyton answered simply, her grip tightening on the wheel. She was still having a hard time processing the fact that the man she had been wanting and needing for the past few months was actually by her side. It wasn't in the fashion she had been day-dreaming about but the fact of the matter was, he was there. Solid, whole and real.

"What's his name?"

"It doesn't matter anymore." Couldn't he drop it? Couldn't he just ask her to stop the car and just hold her and then proceed to kiss her fears away and tell her that everything was going to be okay now because he was back? That was how things were supposed to go and how this scene was supposed to play out. That was her day dream and her fantasy.

Why wasn't he playing along?

"Peyton," he said seriously.

One word. It struck her so harshly that her previous thoughts of her dream merely faded away before she answered softly, "Rick. He helped me book some gigs for an all ages night that Karen let me host at her new club."

"In exchange for?"

Peyton pulled over to the side of the road, her voice shaky, "You weren't here, Jake." She sighed heavily as she put the car into park. She closed her eyes tightly, trying her best to hold back the tears.

He reached over and brushed the hair out of her face and took her into his arms, "I'm sorry."

She nodded wordlessly, breathing in the scent of him, feeling his heart pound against his chest as she sighed in content, "Stay with me."

"Always."

--

"It's so beautiful," Peyton whispered, her breath forming a warm cloud of air as it touched the cold atmosphere of the morning. "I'd love to wake up to this every morning."

Jake wrapped his arms around her, leaning his cheek against the side of her head as he answered softly, "You can."

"For now," she replied sadly, intertwining her fingers through his.

"Now is all that matters."

Peyton smiled at his words, looking up at him in admiration as he leaned down, meeting her lips for a warm and sensuous kiss.

--

"So, what do you want for breakfast? Bacon, eggs, toast, sausage?" Peyton fumbled around the kitchen, searching for whatever breakfast items that they had. "Not that I can cook anything but I suppose it's a nice thought." She smiled before turning towards him, her smile fading as she saw the look on his face. "What's wrong?"

"I'm leaving."

She nearly dropped the carton of eggs. Shakily, she set the carton on the counter before leaning against the refrigerator door. "When?"

"In a day or so."

"Right, of course," she said, staring down at the floor, "How stupid of me to think…" she trailed off, her heart not able to finish the rest of the sentence. How dumb could she get? Of course he didn't come back for her. He had been here for nearly a week and she still didn't know what he had come back for. She had just assumed…

Jake took a few steps forward, a small box in his hand. He took her hands gently, placing the box in her palm.

"What is this?" She managed to ask before clearing her throat.

"Merry Christmas," he replied cryptically.

"Its not-"

"Just open it."

She ripped apart the wrapping, her hazel eyes clouded with confusion as she saw a silver key lying in the middle of the padded box, "What is this?"

"A key."

She grinned, "I see that."

"To my apartment." He paused, "In Savannah."

Peyton's eyes grew wide as she looked up at him, her mouth nearly falling open, "Jake, I can't-"

"Just for the holidays." He stopped her protests and grabbed her hand, kissing it softly. "Come with me."

"I can't leave," she shook her head, "I've got…" she paused, "everything is here. My life is here."

"It's just for a few days. Nothing more, nothing less." He paused and lifted up her chin, "Stay with me?"

She looked up at him intently, captivated by his piercing gaze. She simply smiled, "Always."

--


End file.
